Dualit 84036 > Reviews (1)

Curious shortcomings.

Unlike the kettle of the same style, this thing has no on/off switch and no water level viewing window.

I consider both of these omissions to be downright dangerous!

If you overfill the kettle it can splutter boiling coffee out of the spout -and then the only way to stop it is to take it off the base, whilst it will still be spluttering. That is really dumb. I don't know what Dualit were thinking when they decided to put this into production as-is.

Even if you open the lid and look inside, you can't see how much liquid is in the thing as the coffee drum is located at the top.

I haven't yet worked-out how one is supposed to know when the jug is empty and therefore liable to burn-out.

The outside of the kettle gets boiling hot. It could be lined or dual-walled (especially at this price).

The design is such that the lid is used to deflect a jet of boiling water back down onto the coffee drum; remove the lid during this process and you (r face) will be greeted by a fountain of BOILING coffee and steam. Jolly good fun. Not. The water can be seen shooting into the clear plastic handle on top of the machine during the percolating process. This plastic bobble has a big air-bubble in it on the one supplied to me. So obviously there is a significant lack of quality-control at the Dualit factory for this imperfect knob to make it onto the lid and then onto the machine. Who knows, with all that heat, p'raps the air inside this bubble will expand enough to bust through the weakened bobble and shoot scalding coffee all over the place in a pretty, swirling fountain of boiling brown stuff.

Besides, if you were to choose to shoot boiling liquid through any part of such a device, what complete cretin would decite that the HANDLE would be a suitable part to heat to nearly 100oC.

I am astonished by these shortcomings. Especially as I thought that by spending more and going for a dualit, I'd be getting something of above average build and quality.

If they do a Mark-II version with a different design (the coffee does NOT need to use the lid as an umbrella, it could be incorporated below it, and the lack of an on/off switch is buffoonery in the extreme), then I think it could be a winner. Otherwise, use this device with the same caution you would a couldron of boiling oil, teetering on a camping-gazcooker on uneven ground.

The machine looks good. It's tidy and takes-up less space than a filter machine. There is no waste as it has a permanent perforated steel filter drum. And it's easy (if not particularly safe) to use.